MILANO, ITALY | IPACK-IMA 2009, to be held March 24 to 28, 2009, at FieraMilano, in Milano, Italy, is expected to be strategic to the growth of the pet food industry. The thematic area "Feed and Pet Food" in IPACK-IMA 2009 features 85 exhibiting companies displaying technological solutions, both in terms of machinery and materials, for pet food industry professionals and marketing managers from distribution chains.

Different kinds of pet food employ aluminium and steel cans, aluminium trays, flexible polylaminate bags, paper bags, paperboard boxes, and polylaminate cellulose containers; snacks and treats also employ processing and packaging techniques used for human consumption. The latest surveys by international institutes such as Iri and Euromonitor Intl. report only a slight decrease in this industry in recent months. The growth rate over the last five years has been a yearly 5% on average, in particular +5.2% in 2007. IPACK-IMA, an exhibition for packaging and agro-food processing technology, will feature a specific thematic area dedicated to technology and materials for the pet food industry.

Pet food production and distribution are said to play an important role in the packaging industry. The pet food market is becoming increasingly diversified in term of preparations and segmentation between standard and upscale products. In terms of quantity, the Italian market, of which 90% is made up of cat and dog food, has a volume of approximately 500,000 tons per year, 58% of which is imported and 42% produced domestically. In dollar terms, the market was worth more than 1,300 million euros in 2007, including pet "snacks & treats," the delicatessen, which account for 44 million euros.

The industry employs a wide range of packaging types and strongly focuses on the handiness and ease of use of the packages to increase market share. The industry is expected to grow particularly on the domestic market since Italy is rapidly filling the gap with other countries where keeping pets is a more widespread habit, in terms of regular use of packaged food. According to the most recent data available (source GN Research), in Italy 61% of pet owners feed them with packaged food compared to an average 85% in the most advanced European countries and the USA.

The successful performance of the pet food industry is exceptionally important for packaging manufacturers on account of the general decrease in the demand for consumer goods. Along with the exhibition, IPACK-IMA will host a meeting promoted by ANFIMA (National Assn. of Mfrs. of Metal Packaging and Related Products) focused on this subject and the opportunities involving "Petfood and Metal packaging: The R00easons for Its Success.”

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